Networking in the legal profession

Personal brand is important for all people of all vocations, not least within the legal profession. Building and maintaining a professional network are a key aspect of this and can be crucial to breaking down traditional barriers to entry for lawyers. The benefits of a properly maintained professional network are there for all to see: well-connected individuals tend to unlock better job opportunities and often higher rates of pay.

If networking seems scary to you, then it doesn’t need to be. In reality, it doesn’t have to be boiled down to interpersonal cold calling, rather it’s a long-term investment in your own career development. Like any investment, it’s important that you’ve done your research before you commit to it, so here are some questions you should ask yourself, to help you get better at networking:

What makes you, you?

Networking is your opportunity to present your personal brand to your contact book, but that’s not much use to you if you don’t know what your personal brand is. Your personal brand is your foundation for your networking skills. It’s your strengths, your interests and your personality, so start by thinking about who you are.

Once you’ve done that, you need to decide how you would like to be perceived by other members of your profession. Commentary and the open exchange of your own knowledge is a vastly underrated way establishing yourself as a thought-leader in your sector. It also opens the door for other people to reach out to you. Speak or write actively about topics that interest you then tell people about your own experiences in relation to these.

How can you be a good contact?

You wanting to connect with somebody for your own benefit is one thing, but if you want to retain them as a contact, you’ll need to think about what you can offer to them in return. The best place to start is to show an interest in the person you’re reaching out to, not just in what they have to offer you. People who show genuine interest in their connections usually find that this behaviour is mirrored back at them, so focus on what you can learn from each other and ask questions.

When you’ve identified what you can learn from each other, see if there is anything you can do to proactively help them. Networking is a two-way street and helping them to solve their problems will build trust and potentially position yourself as an expert. By doing this yourself, you also open the door for them to return the favour.

Who do you know already?

There’s a perception that networking has to start from absolute zero and that you need to be reaching out to strangers. Whilst you can do that, it’s usually easier to start with people who you have already met before. We all have former teachers, colleagues and friends from old walks of life. Even if you’ve lost contact with them, it will likely be easier to reconnect with them than it would be to connect with a complete stranger.

Once you’ve begun to build up some initial contacts, you can begin to move into the next stage of networking, being an intermediary. If you find you have two independent contacts who could benefit from being introduced to each other, then you should ask if they’d like to be introduced. Helping out your network in this way feeds back into the idea of being a good contact and again, it can lead to your contacts returning the favour for you.

What do you want out of this?

Finally, you have to decide why you’re trying to grow your network and how you would prefer to maintain it. We can all agree that networking is a good thing, but in order to get the most out of it, you have to know why you’re doing it. Are you trying to get a new job, are you trying to become recognised as an industry leader, or are you trying to broaden your own skillset.

Knowing what you’re trying to achieve will allow you to start setting realistic goals for how you want to get there. Networking shouldn’t be a distraction from everyday life, so set goals that fit into your own concept of time management. Reaching out can take many forms whether it’s attending industry events, going for a coffee or just sending a LinkedIn message.

Conclusion

Networking may seem complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. Decide what you want your personal brand to be and then focus on how you can contribute to your sector. From here, opportunities will open up, particularly if you appreciate that networking is a two-way street.

This month we’ll be revisiting the idea of personal brand within the legal industry so keep an eye on our blog for more content in this area.